James Bond meets Xena in heady artwork

Last updated 05:00 19/09/2012

Rohan Wealleans' Psychosis chamber of the oracle was originally a film prop from Xena: Warrior Princess.

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Rohan Wealleans has described this artwork Psychosis chamber of the oracle (2012) as a ''James Bond Arctic love nest''. This is a painting you step up to and enter, and has been a drawcard for visitors of all ages to Wealleans' exhibition at Wellington's City Gallery.

Several small children have refused to leave the comfort of the play den. One small girl asked her parents to come and collect her the following day. Adults tend to be a little more weary.

The artist has described the head as a ''wizard's hangout pad''. The interior is lined with sheep's wool and houses a modified fortune-telling Bratz doll. Visitors can lie back inside the luxuriously painted interior and look at the gems of paint hanging like stalactites from the ceiling.

The dimensions are big enough for two adults to lie inside and a small door can be closed for added privacy. City Gallery attendants monitor all activity, because people can behave weirdly when stuck inside a painting.

The giant polystyrene head was originally a film prop from the set of Xena: Warrior Princess and was modelled on the features of actor Kevin Smith. It sat in Wealleans' carport for months before its painterly transformation.

THE DETAILS

Apocalyptic Intuition: Rohan Wealleans, City Gallery, until September 23.